The DTC blood testing market is growing at nearly 9 percent annually.

Early detection of anemia, thyroid disease, or early-stage diabetes can improve mortality and quality of life.

There are no RCTs that exist to determine if these DTC tests lead to improved health outcomes.

A review of 484 DTC products found that just 10.7 percent had potential clinical use.

I’ve been looking for different ways to get a blood test done other than just having to go to my doctor. With age feeling like it’s advancing faster than a clock tick, I entered the world of direct-to-consumer blood testing and could feel my heart rate rising with every subscription page I landed on.

In most healthcare systems, the traditional method of being referred for a blood test still applies. You speak to a doctor or healthcare practitioner, discuss your symptoms, and they advise which test you need and refer you to the appropriate place to have this done. Results come back to the requesting doctor, and you have a follow-up or recovery notification of these and what, if any, further action was needed.

But as I looked at how many tests I could have done with a single blood test, not only did I hear the voice of Elizabeth Holmes in my head, I found myself in awe at just how many options were available to me, as long as I had my credit card with me, of course.

Having worked in general practice for over 20 years, I am used to reviewing results for patients I haven’t seen and adding comments on the significance of normal or abnormal findings. Most blood results are presented in a range, and of course, we all want our numbers to be right in the middle.

Depending on your local situation, having a blood test done and getting the results can be both physically and emotionally stressful. Even being told “everything is normal” when you feel something is definitely off can bring its own bag of mixed emotions. This might be the standard patient route to a blood test,........

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